Pass Labs xa - .5 amps

Thanks and I feel this 100db peaks is enough for me.

Thanks for the suggestion and presume 280 sq.ft room can be fine...is it?

Anyone using this XA 30.5 with 4 Ohms (86DB) spekers?
I am highly expected your suggestion becoz am planned to purchase the same for my Dynaudio Speakers.

At the moment have a loaner XA 30.5 hooked up to my Lohengrin.
with 95 Db it get's to really excessive spl's.
just amazing what this little Pass does concerning control and sheer power.
very new so cannot make claims on musicality, but i like it. remember it's all in the match.

I used a Nordost Hemindall speaker cable with Focal Electra 906 and Pass X2 pre. and run very well, but im searching a Xlr cable between pre and power, ideas?

Im think in focal micro utopia but are a 89 db what do you think?

Leave it in standby between use.

Do not power it down.

Have fun.

Well the XA-30.5 is here and it sounds wonderful - powerful, punchy, and very transparent. It's been running for about 5 hours now and I've noticed marked improvement just in that period of time - thin and bright when I first plugged it in, but that's all but gone now. I'm sure the buck-a-foot Monster Cable that I'm using isn't helping matters any (the only able I had with spade connectors.)

Any recommendations for speaker cables?

I owned the Aleph 3 and 2 and I think the XA is more dynamic, and obviously so. I owned the Alephs so long ago that I can't say more about other specific comparisons, but the XAs are real current monsters and they have a lot of bass drive and pace. The high power/low power argument is proabably endless and subjective to some extent, but I still think that the same basic circuits with the differences based on output power will sound better IF the lower power is sufficient to drive the speaker to the right levels. IF not, than more power will have an advantage since insufficient power is proabably more of a liability than the benefits of the simpler lower power version of an amp. But I don't mean to sidetrack, other than to agree that overall the XA is an improvement over the Aleph in that it maintains the former's virtues while adding improved bass and dynamic performance (the Aleph is still a great sounding amp, and with certain speakers the difference in drive might not even be noticeable)

I'm not a believer in the blanket statement that lower powered amps always sound better. In my experience amps should be reviewed case by case. While I have heard some lines of amps where a lower powered one sounded better to my ears, I have also heard the opposite to be true. All other things equal, I think higher powered amps do have their advantages.

I imagine the xa-30.5 is a more dynamic with wider soundstage and better grip on bass. I would like to trade my aleph 3 for one but my budget will not allow it right now. I wonder how it would compare to a first watt aleph j? one thing tho I would have to agree with Pubul57 about low power amp sounds better. I listened to a friends aleph 1.2, it sounded nice & sweet but didn't seem to sound as sweet as my aleph 3. maybe it has to do with more transistor in the signal path or something, it did not sound as pure as the low powered aleph. I also listen to a pair of bk mono blocks that were 200 wpc and, if did not sound a good as my aleph 3, or the aleph 1.2. I have been wanting to listen to aleph j but don't know any near me to compare and when I read the review on 6 moons on the xa-30.5, I have been drooling over the xa-30.5

Anyone compared the XA-30.5 to the Aleph 3? I had an Aleph 3 and an Aleph P many years ago and thought the combination was fantastic. I sold the Aleph 3 because I purched new speakers that required more power. Somtimes I wish I still had the Alpeh 3 and other speakers.

Congratulations. I think you have a very, very fine piece. Some might argue the best sounding amp out of the Pass shop (assuming sufficient power of course).

Thanks for your responses. I ordered an XA-30.5 - can't wait for it to arrive. My dealer has a 6-month full credit trade in policy just to tempt me to upgrade to the XA-60.5.

With the XA30.5s ability to deliver current and the sensitivity of your speakers, I would think the 30 watts would be more than enough for most listeners in most rooms. As Tvad says, it plays a lot louder and more robustly than its wattage specs would suggest (I think it is very conservatively rated). The extra 30 watts of the XA60.5 are really marginally more power in terms of loudness. And I'm firmly in the camp that less power will sound better if it is enough power to drive your speakers to the volume levels you require. I was using the XA30.5 with my 89db Merlins and power was NEVER an issue. With your speakers and 4ohm impedance, I would not expect power to be an issue for you either. Now you may hear from those that say you can never have enough power.... Ask ML what they think and ask Pass what they think. Can't speak for ML, but I've never known Pass to not offer good, honest advice, even if they prefer to sell you two amps instead of one.